GUWAHATI: Meghalaya Police on Wednesday confirmed that an Indore-based tourist, whose body was found in a deep gorge below the Weisawdong parking lot at Riat Arliang in Sohra, East Khasi Hills, was murdered.
A machete, suspected to have been used in the murder, was recovered beside the body of Raja Raghuvanshi. A raincoat, believed to be that of his missing wife Sonam, was also recovered from a few kilometres away from where his body was recovered.
Speaking to the presspersons, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said the police need more evidence to crack the case. A murder case was registered and a special investigation team was formed to probe the incident. “It is a new ‘dao’ (machete) that we recovered. We suspect that it was used in the murder. There is no doubt that it is murder, but we have to find out the motive behind it. It could be robbery, hatred, vendetta or any other issue. We need more evidence. It is very difficult to jump to any conclusion at this moment,” the SP said.
Vivek further said that Raja was thrown into a deep gorge, but the police were not sure if it was done before or after his death. "The post-mortem report will reveal everything,” he said.
The newlywed couple went missing on May 23 after they had set out for Sohra (Cherrapunjee) in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills on a rented two-wheeler.
The decomposed body of Raja was spotted by a police drone after eight days of intensive efforts. The body was identified by relatives through a distinctive tattoo on the deceased’s right hand that read “Raja.” Items recovered from the spot included a woman’s white shirt, a strip of Pentra 40, a piece of an LCD screen of a mobile phone, and a smartwatch found on the deceased’s wrist.
The police said the search to find Sonam is underway.